Automatic player-piano.



E. E. WBLTE.' AUTOMATIC PLAYER PIANO. ArPLIoATIoN IIL'BD kn 24, 1909 946,297, l Patented @11,1910.'

-To all whom 'it may concern:

EDWIN' n. wenen, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

Aumoivm'rro rLAYnR-PIANO.

Wittem. f

'Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ila-n. 11, 1910.

Applicgtion filed Mey 24, 1909. Serial No. 497,849.

-Be it known that. l, EDWIN E. WELTE, e citizen of the Empire of Germany, residing in New York, in the borough of Manhatten,

county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements 1n Automatic Player-Plenos, of which the following is e specification.

This-invention relates to :11n improved .eu-

vtomatic pleyer-piano in which the power-v l bellows are arranged' below the hey-bottom of the pieno and in which. the space below the saine in the .front-part of the case is utilized for the inotorniechenism by which the power-bellowsnre actuated, while the pneu- .'rnatic valve-actions are located above the rear-ends of thekey-levers adjacent to and 'in front of the pieno-actions, the trucker, musicroll and winding-up roll being in the upper front-part of the piano, with e view of dis posing'ell the .parte of the automatic pienov' playing attachment in such a manner that they take up the available spaces et the inside ot' en upright piano-case und can be readily placed in position in the saine without altering the construction ot'\thc seine;

nend for this purpose the invention consists of an automatic piano-player which cornprises e number of power-bellows and wind-chest ettuched to the under-side of the ey-bottorn of upright pieno, motor undl motion-transmitting niechenisin arranged in the lower pertof the pieno-cese vend connected with said powenbellows, rows of 'and pneun Tics connected witlrthe piuno-ections, loc ed above the inner ends of the key-levers, while the tracker, music-roll; winding-up roll and the :noter for driving the winding-up roll or niusicroll are locnted in the upper trono port. of the pinnocese end connected with the pneumatic vali-enctions and the pianouctions in the usuel nionner.

The invention consists further of certain details of construction which will'be fully described hereinafter and iinelly pointed lout in the claims.

In the acconipanving drawings, .Figure 1 l 'represents a front-elevation of inyirnproved automatic player-pieno, 'showing the panel clcsing the lower part of the upright pianocese end the panel for the upper front-part of the same in closed position and showing the operating parts in dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a vertical t zinsverse section on line 2, 2, Fig.

yl, and Fig. 3 is a .rear-view of thelower part' of the piano-cese, with the front-panel reinoved, showing the power-bellows and the drivingmechanism for the seine.

Similar letters not reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the figures.

Referring to the drawings, c represents an upright pieno and c the case ot the same. To

the under-side of the key-bottom al are ettached three power-bellows I), b1, b2. the keybottom forming the stationery ineinber of said powe r-bellows. A wind-chest fl is also etteched to the under-side of the key-bottom .fziderfiee of the power-bellows es shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3. The wind-chest d is connected by :i channel Z1 with the powerbellows b, b1, o? in the usuel. rnenner.- The power-bellows ere alternately actuated by u driving' mechanism which consists of 'en electric motor m which is arranged et one side of and in the lower front-part of the pienocese, a large transmitting pulley m driven by a belt m2 freine pulley m1 on the ernieture-sheft of the motor, and e second pulley m4 connected by a belt m5 with u smell pulley m on the shaft of the pulley ma( The ,pulley m4 is niounted on e. crank-shaft m7 which is' connected with the intermediate power-bellows Z) by e connecting rod ms, and

by connecting rods m9 with ulcrurned elbowleversmlU the outer ends ot which are connected by pivot-rods m11 with the powerbel lows b1, b2, the location oi the connecting rods' with. the elbowdevers m1 being so arranged that tor every rotation of the crankshaft three alternating actuations of the bellows b, l, o2 take place. The crank-shaft m7 and the tutore .ot the elbo\\'levers m'lo ere supported in bearings of a traine f, while the shaft oli-thc transmitting pulley m3 is supported in bearings oi' u seperate freine f1.

Abovev the rear-ends ot the key-levers ere arranged, in the space in front ofthe pienocctions, as many pneumatic vali/emotions e there are pianoections to.be actuated, seid valve-actions being` preferably arranged in the usuel manner in horizontal rows and connected with the tracker t by flexible tubes 't1 of rubber, metal or other material. The pneumatic valve-actions operate pneuinatics which are connected with the lower parts of the piano-actions so as to operate the saine et the roper time. l Y

vertically above the pneumatic valveections are arranged, in the upper frontl'part of the piano-case c, the horizontal. tracker t, ey music-roll g, which 1s supported and the same in bearings below the tracker,a winding-up l roll g1, and the pneumatic motor g for! operating the winding-up roll or music-roll, and the expression devices. The pneumatic motor g2 is arranged at one side of thei tracker, and the expression devices at the other side ot' the tracker, -in the usual wellknown manner, also. the rewinding mechanism for the perforated music-sheet.

The connections between the wind-chest, tracker and the/pneumatic valve-actions are made in the usual manner, as the essential feature of this construction is the arrangement ot' the power-bellows below the keybottom of the upright piano, in connection with the operating parts described. By locating the powerbellows below the leyi bottom, the space in the lower part of the l piano-case is available for locating` the i mot-oi' and motion-transmitting mechanisms `i below the power-bellows and wind-chest, i

l l l l while the pneumatic valve-actions and the t tracker, with the winding-up roll and the music-roll, are located at the upper i'rontpart ot' the case in the usual manner. rl`he forwardly-extending ends ot' the power-bellows are inclosed by an inclined wall'so as to be out of sight. When the power-bellows are located below the hey-bottoni as described theyY are not in the way when playing the piano by the hands, while when it is desired to play the piano automatically the music-roll is placed in position, themusicsheet extended over the tracker and connected with the winding-up roll, and current for theanoto-r .switched in. By coupling the shaft of the winding-up roll with the pneh`matic motor, the music r presented by f the music-sl eet is played automatically, the i music-sheet ,icing rewomul, after the piece of music has been played, on the music-roll, l

replaced by a new one, as In the front-wall is arranged a desired.

where the music-roll, tracker and windingg up roll are located, this panel or door being opened, when the automatic playing is dei sired so as to permit the insertion of the. l

music-roll and its connection with they tracker and winding-up roll in the welllinown manner.

1 'laving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. ln an automatic player-piano, the combination, with the case of an upright piano, of a supporting board, a plurality of bellows carried by said board, a rotary shaft having a shaft-crank, a bell-crank lever, a pivotlink connecting one arm of the lever vwith said shaft-crank, and pivot-links connecting the other arm of the lever and the shaftcranlt with said bellows respectively.

2. In an automatic player-piano, the combination ot a hey-bottom, a pluralityl of bello secured to the bottom-face of the key-- bottom and depending therefrom, a rotaryv shaft having a shaft-crank, a plurality ofl bell-crank levers, pivot-links connecting one arm or". the bell-cranklevers to the shaftcrank, pivot-links connecting the bellows respectively with the other arm of the bellcranl; levers and the sha ift-crank, and wippen operating mechanism communicating with the bellows.

ln an automatic player-piano, the combination of a key-bottom, a plurality of bellows secured to the bottom-face of the lteybottoni and depending therefrom, a rotary shaft having a shaft-crank, a plurality ot' bell-crank levers, pivot-links connecting one arm of the bell-crank levers' to the shaftcrank, pivot-links connecting the bellows respectively with the other arm of the bellcrank levers and the shaft-crank, a motor locatedL in the space below the bellows, and transmission means connecting the motor and said shaft.

In testimony', thaty l claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name in presence. of two subscribing witnesses. hinged panel or door for closing the space EDXVIN E. lVELTE.

Witnesses PAUL Gorrnn. J. Coon. 

